Dispensing apparatus



June 27, 1967 R. H. MacKAY DISPENSING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 20, 1965 June 27, 1967 R. H. M KAY 3,327,655

DISPENS ING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INYENTOE Poemr/i MACK/A V b c/EF/EPS 9 0 um;

AnomvEVs' United States Patent 3,327,655 DISPENSING APPARATUS Robert H. MacKay, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to Lincoln Manufacturing Company, Fort Wayne, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Sept. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 488,646 1 Claim. (Cl. 108136) This invention relates to a dispensing apparatus and more particularly to a dispensing apparatus which is usable for storing and dispensing a quantity of articles, such as trays, dishes or other articles, wherein such articles are stacked and are dispensed so that the uppermost one of the stack is maintained at a substantially constant level accessible'for removal. Thus, regardless of the height of the stack, the stack position is constantly adjusted so that the uppermost one of the stack always remains at the same level.

One of the important requisites of a dispensing apparatus which is used in conjunction with serving food is that the apparatus be readily cleanable. Preferably, the apparatus should be washable throughout, having no hidden surfaces or inaccessible surfaces which can harbor food or dirt that might be harmful to maintaining good hygienic standards. Many serving apparatuses can be cleaned but they necessitate a costly disassembly which adds considerably to the cost of maintenance of the equipment both because of the inconvenience in disassembling the apparatus and reassembling and also because of the possibilities of misassembly and loss of the parts.

Many previously proposed apparatuses are also deficient in that they fail to provide a readily adjustable and consistently operable lift mechanism by which a stack of trays or other articles are lifted gradually as the load is lightened so that the uppermost one of the stack is maintained consistently at thev same level. In order to achieve this, it is necessary that the lifting mechanism be responsive to slight changes in the load so that as each article is removed the lifting mechanism will be responsive with suflicient sensitivity such that the uppermost one of the stack is immediately elevated and hence as the stack is diminished the uppermost one is maintained always at the same level. Obviously, in order for such an apparatus to be workable, the lift mechanism must be adjustable to provide for different kinds of loads and must be accurate in operation to provide for a suitable adjustment following each article removal. I

It is accordinglyone of the important features of the present invention to provide a unitary dispensing apparatus which is capable of receiving a stack of articles and is adapted, responsively, to the removal of the articles one by one, to maintain the uppennost article at substantially the same level. It is an important object of the present invention to produce a unitary dispensing apparatus which can be readily installed into an opening fabricated in a counter or other support structure and which provides the necessary suspension for the dispensing apparatus. It is thus possible to provide the present invention in a support structure which has not been especially or originally adapted for dispensing articles and in this way the present invention is adapted for wider use and more extensive applications.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispensing apparatus which is capable of operation responsively to even slight changes in load so that as each "ice article is removed the dispensing apparatus is sufiiciently sensitive so that it will raise the stack by an increment sntfi cient to maintain the uppermost article at substantially the same level.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispensing apparatus which can be easily removed and installed in its entirety, thereby facilitating not only installation but also subsequent washing and servicing including adjustment of the elevator portions of the apparatus.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a readily constructable dispensing apparatus in which guide means for the apparatus which are used for locating the article at the time they are added onto or are removed from the apparatus, can be easily clamped to the apparatus.

It is an important feature of the present invention that the entire apparatus is suspended from an upper portion so that, assuming that there is a length available within a counter or other support structure, the apparatus can be readily installed and removed for cleaning.

It is also an important object of the present invention that the apparatus can be readily assembled, adjusted and serviced, thereby providing an apparatus which is economical to produce and to use and can be readily adjusted in accordance with the articles intended to be served.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing apparatus shown removed from the counter or other mounting means;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged detail view showing the 'con nection of the guidepost and guide means to the annular support structure for the apparatus;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation view of the apparatus separated from the support cabinet, counter or other support structure; and

FIGURE 4 illustrates the apparatus of FIGURE 3 after it is installed in a counter, cart or other support structure.

Referring now to the drawings, the serving apparatus, designated generally by reference numeral 10, includes an annular support 12 having an outer peripheral flange 14 which serves to support the apparatus on the upper surface 16 (FIGURE 4) of a counter or other suitable carrying stucture designated generally by reference numeral 18.

The downwardly turned flange 14 serves as a crumbguard, preventing food from entering opening 19 which is constructed in the counter 18 to receive the apparatus 10. Apparatus 10 has a number of guide members or horns 20 which are spaced circu'mferentially, the horns 20 being secured to the annular support means 12 by means of a stud 22 having a threaded section 24 which is threaded into a companion opening 26 of the horn 20. The horn 20 is turned down and clamps against surface 28, being held in that position by the threaded connection. The surface 34 of the horn serves to guide the movement of plates, trays, saucers or other articles onto a platform 38 which serves to support the stack of articles. Platform 38 is constructed of a larger size than the opening formed by a flange 40 in the support means 12 so that in its uppermost position it will engage the edge 42 of the downwardly turned flange 40 of the annular support 12. The flange 40 is of small enough diameter so that it will pass through opening 19 in the support wall 18 7 (FIGURE 4).

The platform 38 together with its stack of articles is biased upwardly by means of a number of cylindrical springs 44, these being coil springs which act against washers 46 which in turn bias the platform 38 upwardly, each of the springs being received over guide rods 48, 50 and 52. Each of the horns 20 has a stepped projection 54 fitting within the Open end of the associated guide rod and its shoulder 56 engages the end of the guide rod so that the guide portion 34 is flush with the guide surface of the associated guide rod. The horn may be conveniently constructed as a casting but its composition is not critical and it can be varied in accordance with design preference.

The springs 44 are individually adjustably compressed by means of canted washers 60 which can slide up and down the length of the guide rods 48, 50, 52 in order to individually adjust the springs 44 to maintain the platform 38 in a substantially level position. By providing a plurality of small springs the total adjustment can be made extremely fine as compared to a single large rate spring and the refinement of adjustment can be carried out to the extent of causing the stack to be very sensitive to changes in weight. For example, with a stack of saucers,

removal of even one saucer can be made to aifect the springs such that the entire stack will be raised by a slight increment equal to the height of the removed saucer and therefore the uppermost saucer of the stack is always maintained at substantially the same level. The platform 38 is also maintained level because it is in slidable engagement with the surfaces of the guide rods, which being three in number, and spaced apart, can define a horizontal planar position for the platform. The platform 38 is notched at its confronting surfaces with the guide rods 48, 50 and 52 to provide bearing surfaces which serve to guide the platform against lateral movement as well as holding it in a prescribed level position as it moves downwardly to store the articles and then upwardly to dispense them. The bottom ends 69 of the guide rods 48, 50 and 52 are welded or otherwise suitably secured to a base plate 70 which has upright reenforcements 72 and 74 to which are secured posts 76 which join annular plate 12 and the base 70.

The weight of the apparatus together with the weight of the stacked articles is transferred onto the annular mounting plate 12. In the case of the load of the articles, the load is transferred from the support platform 38 through the springs 44 to the adjuster washers 60 and posts 48, SOand 52 to the base 70 and from the base 70 7 through rods '76 back to the annular support 12 which rests through its downturned flange 14 on surface 16 of the support 18 (FIGURE 4).

When it is time to remove the apparatus for cleaning all that is necessary is to grip the apparatus through the horns 20 and pick the entire apparatus up, removing it through the opening 19 (FIGURE 4); likewise, when it is desired to install or reinsert the apparatus following washing thereof, the apparatus is inserted endwise through the opening 19 where the flange 14 engages surface 16.

Installation, removal and replacement is simplified and proceeds efficiently and without loss of time. Because it is easier to clean the apparatus, it is more likely that it will remain clean at the prescribed times and conditions and yet removal and cleaning does not add appreciably to the cost of maintenance. Consequently, a high degree of hygienic standard canbe maintained. Since the apparatus does not have to be disassembled, unskilled or relatively inexperienced operators can be relied upon to follow a program of cleaning of the apparatus.

In fabricating the apparatus the structure is simple to produce as component parts and assemble and in spite of the advantages which are offered over the prior art, it is of no greater expense to fabricate the described apparatus than those of the prior art.

In operation, whether a counter, cart or other means has been originally designed with the idea in mind of providing a dispensing apparatus, all that is necessary is to provide an opening of the proper diameter and then insert the apparatus through the opening while providing that enough room is available for suspending the apparatus. The dishes, trays or other material are then stacked onto the platform 38 and under the combined weight of the stacked articles the platform 38 will descend into the space encompassed by the guide rods 48, 50, and 52 compressing the springs 44 until an equilibrium position is reached wherein at least a part of the stack is lowered into the apparatus and the uppermost one of the stack is at a convenient height for dispensing. As the articles are removed one by one and the weight of the stack is relieved, the springs 44 will press the platform 38 upwardly and an equilibrium position is reached with the uppermost plate always in the same vertical position accessible for removal.

In order to provide for different weight articles and for different size articles each of the springs 44 can be individually adjusted by means of the canted washer 60 which is caused to slide up and down its respective guide rod to effect the desired compression on the spring whereby the platform maintained at all times in level position. In this way the dispensing apparatus is adjustable both for the kind of article and the height to which it is desired to be raised.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in connection with a single example embodiment, it will be understood that this is illustrative of the invention and is by no means restrictive thereof. It is reasonably to be expected that those skilled in this art can make numerous revisions and adaptations of the invention to suit individual design requirements and it is intended that such revisions and adaptations will be included within the scope of the following claim as equivalents of the invention.

I claim:

Article dispensing apparatus adapted to be removably fitted into an opening in a horizontal surface such as a counter, said article dispensing apparatus comprising:

(a) an annular support ring having an internal opening of a diameter sufiicient to permit articles to pass therethrough and having an outer diameter that is greater than said surface opening;

(b) a plurality of guide means positioned around said annular support ring and extending upwardly therefrom to guide the movement of articles into and out of said support ring opening;

(c) a plurality of elongated guide rods fastened at their upper ends to the lower surface of said annular support ring between said opening therein and said outer diameter thereof, said guide rods being spaced around said annular support ring and extending downwardly therefrom to encompass a space for receiving said articles therebetween;

(d) a support platform providing a support surface positioned in said space encompassed by said guide rods, said support platform being vertically movable in said space, and having a dimension such that its upper vertical movement is stopped by said annular support ring;

(e) a respective elongated spring positioned around each of said guide rods, the upper end of each of said springs being in engagement with said support platform to bias said support platform upwardly;

(f) means mounted on each of said guide rods at the lower end of each of said springs for limiting the lower position of each of said springs and controlling said upward bias;

(g) a base plate fastened to the lower end of each of said guide rods;

(h) elongated means for further connecting said base References Cited plate to said annular support ring; UNITED STATES PATENTS i) and sa1d gu1 de r ods, said support platform, said 836,303 11/1906 Christensen X springs, said limiting means, said base plate, and 2 426 95 1 said elongated means having dimensions and being 5 15 21 Glbbs 312 71 positioned so that said dispensing appara us m y be 2'812990 3 gfifii %g gi h h a 1 passed downwardly roug sai surf p m 2,901,306 7/1959 Larsen 312 71 supported on said annular support ring, and removed from said surface opening. CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. 

